Two arrested in strange home invasion scam in Tangipahoa Parish

INDEPENDENCE - Deputies arrested two Tangipahoa Parish citizens after they reported a fake home invasion to authorities.

According to the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office, 19-year-old Hannah Charbonnet and her ex-boyfriend, 20-year-old Alexander Fisher, fabricated the story of a home invasion at the residence of her current boyfriend and father of her child.

Deputies responded to the home on Highway 442 in Independence regarding the alleged home invasion Friday afternoon.

Authorities say Charbonnet's boyfriend, the victim, arrived home to find his girlfriend zip-tied to the infant’s crib while the child was left unattended. Officers were told Charbonnet was held at gunpoint by an unknown white male before he zip-tied her to her daughter’s crib. Charbonnet went on to say that the offender then took her cell phone from her pocket and exited the room.

Before leaving the residence, the unknown man allegedly burglarized the home taking several items and multiple firearms. Charbonnet said she remained tied to the crib and the child was left unattended for several hours until the child’s father returned home.

As deputies investigated the burglary, numerous inconsistencies with physical evidence, statements and documented text messages between Charbonnet and Fisher, her ex-boyfriend, led detectives to believe that the reported home invasion could be a scam.

During a follow-up interview with detectives the next morning, Charbonnet admitted to fabricating and staging the reported home invasion with the assistance of Fisher.

Charbonnet says Fisher created the plan in hopes that her current boyfriend would let her move out of the residence. She said Fisher tied her to the crib with her permission and removed property belonging to her boyfriend from the residence in efforts to support the fabricated home invasion.

Charbonnet also admitted that the toddler was freely roaming throughout the residence without supervision during the fake home invasion.

Deputies arrested Charbonnet and Fisher and charged them with filing a false police report, child desertion, theft of a firearm, and felony theft.

Detectives have since been able to locate the items taken from the home, including the firearms.